I didn’t start to take a real interest in my overall well-being until college – there’s nothing quite like being on your own to realize what you are putting on your skin and in your body affects how your skin looks ??♀️ Realizing the connection my own actions had to my skin was pivotal: I finally felt like I had some control over my skin ?
Fast forward almost 10yrs later to now – I still track my skin’s reactions with any new products I try, but now I also track what’s going on in my life too. Why? Start tracking and you’ll see. Our emotional and habitual selves are far more tied to our physical selves than we like to admit, for instance:
⋆ “I’m mid-month, PMS-ing, hardcore indulging in sugar”…Yep, that may be a factor in those pimples along your jawline
⋆ “I started to use a new moisturizer with no irritating ingredients, but I’m breaking out on my forehead…oh, and I’ve been on a caffeine kick all week + minimal sleep + stress up to my eyeballs”….yep, that’s more likely the source of your t-zone breakout…
⋆ “I’m on the phone constantly for my job, a social smoker and can’t remember the last time I washed my pillowcase”…yeah, those habits are definitely contributing to your breakouts…
It takes a certain level of self-awareness to think this way, but getting to that level will make self-care so much more meaningful. Until you get there, this is my personal rule of thumb: if you’re going through some stressful shit (an intense time at work/school, personal life struggles, etc) it’s best to wait ’til after those temporary times pass or until you’re able to manage that stress before you think it’s a dud product.
In case you haven’t heard of #facemapping, I’ve included a few different versions here for you to see. Face mapping is essentially calling out areas of the face and mapping it back to internal organs or outside forces that could be contributing to your breakout. It was eye-opening for me to start making these connections, I’m hoping this sheds some light for you as well.
My biggest realization was that my chin/jaw/neck breakouts were tied to hormones. I have scars on top of scars in those areas, but it wasn’t until reading up on #facemaps that I even thought to make the connection that my work-stress and monthly monster hormones ? were actually tied to my breakouts. Throughout the various jobs I’ve had in my working life so far, I can literally tell you a story through my acne flare-ups lol story for another time, babes. xo
? in order: @merakilousbeauty, @holly_aesthetician, @maryscottskincare
#berealwithyourself #skinjournal#skincarejournal #facemap#acnejourney #acnejournal#breakoutjournal #trackyourbreakouts#ingredientsmatter#butsodoyouremotions#beyourownwcw